slow progress

Due in part to my being lazy. Person did not come to clean as her car lights had gone kaputt and she had to wait at the garage for someone to see to them. Shame, but unavoidable, especially with it being dark and sleety - you need your lights, and how!

We have long since lost the mild weather and it has set in to be horribly cold, with no respite for the forseable future: a persistent East wind over Christmass (when it usually lets up for a bit). Being an East wind, we get the worst of it; if it is a North wind we sometimes have it a little easier while the brunt of it hits Scotland and the North. (If we are very lucky, it gets stuck north of us!) That is the main reason I would not go to live in Scotland, much as I would love to.

Christmass cards are done, bar one; still have to wrap pressies. Was intending to do that today, but have been horrendously lazy. Must have early night so I can get going tomorrow: hope I can get someone to post them for me so I don't have to go out.

Rat man is due and I hope he will sign me off as free of infestation ;-) :-)

progress (of a sort)

Parcel of craft goodies arrived and I have sorted the Secret Santa, ditto a pressie for a friend (which is a bit for now and more for Christmass). I just have to remember to take them with me to post next time I go out ;-) I was hoping to get most of Christmass sorted this weekend. Despite my determination to allow minimal disruption, the obligation I feel to do something is distracting me, so I hope to get as much as I can done tomorrow. I reckon I can get my cards out of the way now that it is December and then will only have to put stamps on them later, when the stamps arrive. I was hoping to do my mother's update for her, but it hasn't got here yet :-( means I will have to do it next week, as she is anxious about it.

Have decided tomorrow morning is the best option for Mass as it started raining tonight. Prefer the Vigil Mass, but it's dark and cold (and the church heating isn't effective enough - it's warmed up by the morning!)

family saga?

Follow-up visit from the rat man yesterday: he asked me if I had noticed a lessening of activity and recommended leaving the trays for another two weeks as there was still plenty in them. Difficult to assess activity, as the main activity was eating my M+S bread, which I have since removed to a rat-proof place; ditto with the choccie. Hope the little one was the last of the family and haven't seen any since then.

Meanwhile, Christmass is impinging on my time. I took part in an advent calendar swap on http://craftsbycarolyn.co.uk/craftforum/index.php and am enjoying opening my little parcels. It takes time putting it together, but it's great fun to do. I now have a pressie ready for my niece, which will be taken to Zimbabwe by someone who is flying out on Saturday. Orders have gone out to the German deli for goodies to eat (for me and my mum) and to Calico Crafts (for goodies for a friend's pressie and the Secret Santa on C by C). I hope they are quicker than the people I ordered from last year: my order has already been dispatched, so should come soon.

One day, I might even get some study done ..... Sunday is reserved for my own Christmass cards and my mother's letter (which needs to be done quickly as otherwise she will panic). Otherwise, I need to go to Croydon for trousers and possibly one or two pressies and that I hope will be all, apart from an order to Sainsburys.

My shoulder is gradually getting better so I hope that distracting discomfort will ease off in time: unfortunately the position I need to sit in to take notes is one that sets it off, so the sooner it gets better, the better!